Albert ball



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. BALL. GANG DRILL ROCK OHANNBLING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 6, 1888.]

INVENTEIR.

WITNESSES Mi N. PKTERS. PholwLilhcgmpMr, Wuhingkm, D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 2.

A. BALL.

GANG DRILL ROCK UHANNELING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 6, 1888 WITNESSES,

N PUERS Photo-Lithngmphar. wasmnglon. D.(:.v

UNITED STATES PATENT rrrc ALBERT BALL, OF CLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOB TO THE SULLIVAN MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

GANG-DRILL. ROCK-CHANNELING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION'fOIming part of Letters Patent No. 392,398, dated November 6, 1888.

Application filed May 10, 1887. Serial No. 237,739. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Claremont, in the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gang-Drill Rock- Channeling Machines; and'I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

- My invention relates to that class of rockchanneling drills where the machine requires to be constantly fed along a track forward for a distance and then back at a slow and preferably uniform speed, while at the same time an engine works a gang of steel drills and rapidly strikes them against the rock, thereby cutting a channel; and my improvements herein to be described have for their object a simple and effective method of cans ing these feed movements, and also of stopping and reversing by hand the movement of 7 so much of my channeling-machines as is necthe machine on the track, and also,without interfering with these changes by hand, automatic stopping and reversal of the movement along the track when the desired terminal points are reached,and a simple and practical way of doing this, and, incidentally,'an economical way of taking up the thrust wear of the boxes to the feed-reversing shaft.

In the accompanying drawings, which show cssary for the understanding of my device herein sought to be patented, like letters in different drawings refer to the same parts.

Figure 1 isa-top view of one of my gangdrill-car frames mounted on its wheels and track and with the feed-engine and devices for governing the feed of the car alongthe track. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the line x m, Fig. 1, showing inelevation the feed devices. Fig. 3is an enlarged view, as shown in Fig. 2,0f the driving-worm and the devices for taking up the wear in the boxes caused by the thrust of the same endwise. I Fig. 4. is an end View of Fig. 8. Figs.

5 and 6 are enlarged views, the onesectional, as shown in Fig. 2, and the other an end view of the shipper-lever with its rocker-shaft, &c;

The drill-car A is mounted on axles B and car-wheels C c c c, which move on the track D D. The two wheels 0 0 on the front track, D, I make double-flanged, so as to insure a close guidance of the car, and so preventing any variation which is liable in other machines, as they are now built, with single-flanged wheels to bind the gang of drills in the cut. The rail on which the double-flanged wheels move is planed true and straight. A gear, E, is made as' a projecting flange to one of the wheels, 0, and into this gear works the gear F at the end of a shaft, G, which is driven by the worm-gear H, Fig. 2. This gear F is so arranged that it can he slid backon its shaft G so as to be out of gear with the gear E when it is desired to move the machine freely without affecting the feed mechanism.

The drivingworm I, Fig. 2, is near the end of the feed driving-shaft K. This shaft K extends across the full length of the machine,and

is provided with squared ends 70, so that they shaft can be turned by a crank by hand. This is a great convenience when it is desired to move the machine a short distance without the use of steam-e. 9., in shifting gangs of drills. i The machines are exposed to much dirt and sharp wearing grit. I have devised amethod of having the feed worm-gears I and H run in a tight metal case or box, 7, which is kept partly full of oil and makes a very satisfactory protection and oiler.

The power is obtained from afeed-engine,L, Fig.1. This turns a bevel-gear, M,which interlocks with a pair of bevel-gears, N N, facingopposite ways. They are intended to be always in gear and revolve in opposite ways. They are both placed on theshaft K, on which they move freely, except asone or the other may be clutched. As a part of each of these gears N N is a collar with clutch O O. The corresponding two sliding clutches, P P, are splined or keyed on the shaft K, with free longitudinal movement, each having as a part of it a collar with a grooved recess, Q Q,which receives a shipper-fork, R B. These shipper-forks are secured to theshipper-bar S.'

As shown in the drawings, the clutch P is in gear with O, and the bevel N is turning the shaft K and its worm I, as shown by the arrow, and the worm-gearing the shaft G and its gear F, as shown by the arrow. This turns the gear It and the car-wheels forward in a direction from the clutch that is out of gear,O l,toward the clutch that is in gcar,O P. To stop the feed it is only necessary to throw the clutch that is in gear out of gear without moving the shipper-shaft far enough to throw the other in gear. The car will thereupon immediately stop. As soon as the reverse movement of the shippershaft is continued the clutch O I will be in gear and the car will he forced in the opposite direction. My devices contemplate moving this shipper-shaft either by hand or having the car itself cause the movement by the interposition of a fixed obstacle 0n the track at the points where the reversal of feed is desired, and I will now proceed to describe my methods of doing this.

T is a lever, which .is splined to a rockershaft, 2. This rocker-shaft has two secure bearings, and upon it (and with it) as a fulcrum the lever moves when hand-power is used. The link 3 and catch -l fasten the le- Yer-arm to the shipper-shaft. To work the latter by hand it is only necessary to move the lever T forward or back sufliciently. For the automatic action of the lover I use ob strnctions U U, which are secured to the track in line of the rod V, having projecting ends a '0. This rod passes freely through a hole, mFig. 5,in the rocker IV, and has a washer on it (Nos. 5 and 6, Fig. 2) at each side of the rocker. Between this washer and suitable obstructions on the rod V,(Z Z',)I place spindlesprings Y Y, set in cases or frames a little shorter than the sprin These cases,as shown in the drawings, are the obstructions Z 7. One of the clutches, P Q, being in gear, the spiral springs are not under tension, the car not having reached an obstruction. As soon as the obstruction U is reached by the end 2; the rod V will be forced back and will compress the spring Y toward the rocker IV until the end of the case Z reaches the washcrtl, when the rocker will be carried with the rod V, the shaft 2 turned correspondingly, and the lever and shipper-bar thrown forward, carrying the clutch I out of gear with Q. As soon as the clutch is out of gear the spring Y, that is under tension, is strong enough to carry the shipper-shaft along farther until the clutch l? is in contact with O,whercupon the car is moved in the opposite direction.

It is obvious that the springs could. be relied on without the cases Z Z; but I prefer to use what is absolutely positive, and so avoid straining the spring. So, also, the springs could be left off and a stoppage caused without the subsequent automatic reversal.

It is obvious that as the driving-worm I has alternately to drive the car down and back on its track there will be considerable thrusting wear on the box-bearings of the wormshaft, and I have devised a simple and effectivc method of taking up this wear by the use of interchangeable boxes h it, (see Fig. 3,) between the shoulders of which the respective ends of the worm-flanges rest. These boxes, together with the worm and shaft, are set in the heavy metal cover of the case 7, (also used, as aforesaid, for an oil-holder,) the ends of which are threaded. \Vorking in these threads are the hollow nuts [/1], with notched heads 5 g, for each of which there is a spring nutlock,f, which holds thescrcw firmly in its place. These screws do not touch the shaft, but have a thrust-bearing on the little boxes ll h, and as fast as the latter are worn the heads and screws 1 g are turned up. When worn out, the boxes h It. are replaced by new ones in a few minutes, and the bearings are the same as at first.

It is obvious that instead of a single shaft V, with a single shipper-lever and rockershaft and attachments, the shaft V can be di vided and two shipper-levers and attachments provided, one for each end of the machine, and to produce each a movement of the shippershaft one way. Similarly, instead of a single driving-gear M driving the two gears N and N, there could be a separate driving-gear for each of the latter, effecting a similar result; also, instead of two single-faced clutches]? P, a single double-faced clutch to work between the two gears N and N could be used with a single shipper-fork.

In channeling with a gang-drill, if the feed be not stopped the instant the end of the cut is reached, serious strain on the drills results. The advantage of an automatic reversal of the feed in addition to the economy of labor is therefore manifest.

llaving thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a gang-drill rock-channeling machine, the combination, in the machine-car carrying the propelling-cngine, of the gears N N, r0- tating oppositely, the laterally-movable alternative clutchcs P l and the rods V and S,with connections with said clutches, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In agang-drillrock-channeling machine, mechanism for moving the same on a track, consisting of a driving-gear, M, apai r of gears, N N, driven in opposite directions and each. attached to a clutch, O O, and. a worm-shaft, K,with the two clutches I P, and its worm I, and the gear II, shaft G, and gears F and E, substantially as described.

I). Inagang-drill rock-channeling machine, and in combination with suitable driving mechanism for feeding the samc,thc two alternative clutches I? P and a shipper-rod, S, operated by a hand-lever, T, and link 3, attached to the catch 4., said hand-lever being rigidly connected to the rod 2, provided with the lug W, having suitable connection with the rod V, by means of which the device can be made automatic, substantially as described, and for the urposes set forth.

4. In a gang-drill rock-channeling machine,

in combination with suitable driving mechan ism for feeding said machine, the alternative clutches I I? and shipper-shaft S,the shifting lever T, link 3, and rocker-shaft 2, subshaft S, and the clutches]? P, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In the mechanism for feeding a gang-drill rock-channeling machine upon its track, a

-' feed driving'shaft, K, provided with longitudinal adjustable bearings h h, in combination with adjusting-screws g g and screw-sets 2 5 f, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination, with the machine-car carrying the operating-engine and provided with the alternating clutches O P and O P, and rods 12 1), connected therewith, of the tracks D D, upon which said car is adapted to run, and arms U U, removably connected to one of said tracks, for the purposes set forth, substantially as described.

9. In a gang-drill roclcchanneling machine, in combination with suitable driving power and devices for applying and reversing the same, a feed driving-shaft carrying the worm I, aworm-gear, H, with shaft G, and a gear, F, arranged to be movable forward and back on its shaft G, so as to be thrown in or out of gear with the truck-wheel gear E, substantially as and for the purpose described.

' In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT BALL.

Witnesses:

GEORGE 0. BALL, FRANK A. BALL. 

